A Shimmering Light Within the Darkness
by MissMy80sShows
Summary: Co-Authored with Karen LaManna. Lee is missing and it's up to Amanda to find him. A/N: Story is set after All the World's a Stage but before Stemwinder Pt. 1 Originally posted in the SMK 35th Anniversary Fanzine September, 2018 COMPLETE 11/13/18
1. Chapter 1

**A Shimmering Light Within the Darkness**

Co-Authored by Tracey Arcieri and Karen LaManna

A/N: Story is set after All the World's a Stage but before Stemwinder Pt. 1

 **Chapter 1**

"Damn, what the hell happened?" Lee swore, confused. He disoriented with no concept of where he was. He shook his head, tried to shake the cobwebs loose from his brain, but all the while he clamped his eyes closed tightly. When he finally opened his eyes, he blinked several times as he tried to adjust to the dark space. To his right he heard the steady sound of water dripping; and a musty, damp, earthy smell filled his sinuses. He was laid out on some type of metal cot that squeaked each time he moved. He stood quickly, but when his head connected with the low ceiling with a resounding thud, the impact knocked him back down onto the cot.

"Where am I?" he asked aloud, but his only reply was the continuous sound of dripping water.

While he leaned forward, with his elbows on his knees, and his head rested in his hands, he tried to remember what happened that led him to wake up there. When he rubbed his forehead gently, his hands felt gritty against his skin.

"Amanda," he whispered loudly. "I was on my way to meet Amanda. We were going hiking."

Taking a deep breath, he coughed loudly in the seemingly small space as the musty smell invaded his lungs. He tried to stand again, only this time he slowly straightened himself to his full height, stopping when his head brushed the ceiling. He was almost upright, so he estimated the room to be just under six feet high.

With his arms outstretched, he shuffled his feet forward until he felt a wall of sorts with his hands. The wall was damp and rough and as he explored the area, he could feel dirt crumble off his fingertips. _"It's got to be an old cellar or something,"_ he thought as he moved to the left, feeling around as best as he could. The ground beneath him was hard packed, but as he shuffled his feet, he could hear the dirt and gravel move around.

For nearly an hour, he meticulously felt each wall for any kind of opening or door to no avail. He found where the dripping sound was coming from when he stepped directly into the stream of water that trickled in. He quickly moved away once he determined there was no escape route hidden nearby.

His neck was stiff from hunching forward and his shoulders were beginning to ache. Slowly, he aimed for the middle of the small room, and looked for the cot. He swore again loudly when his shin made contact with a sharp metal edge. Feeling his way along the edge, he sat down and rubbed his leg, thankful he was wearing jeans and hiking boots. He massaged his neck and shoulders as best he could as he whispered, "Come on, Amanda, I know you'll figure out where I am."

Meanwhile, Amanda was in Billy's office. "Sir, I'm worried about Lee," Amanda sat across from Billy, wringing her hands nervously.

"I'm sure he's fine, Amanda," Billy replied reassuringly, "He probably got a call from one of his contacts and lost track of time."

"But, Sir, that's not like him. He and I were supposed to meet on Old Post Road to hike the old trails up there, but he never showed up. Don't you think that sounds suspicious?" Amanda questioned her boss.

Billy shuffled the stack of papers on his desk and turned up the bottom corners to initial each one as he said, "Amanda, this is Lee we're talking about here. Sometimes things come up at the last minute and plans get cancelled."

"Who's plans got cancelled?" Francine asked as she opened the door and stepped into Billy's office.

"Our plans didn't get cancelled!" Amanda insisted. "Lee just…" she paused, then finished with an exasperated sigh, "he just never showed up!" She looked from Billy's face to Francine's hoping for some sign either one understood her concern.

Francine sat on the edge of Billy's desk as she sorted the stack of files in her arms into two piles before him. "What plans did you have that didn't get cancelled?" she asked, glancing up at Amanda between folders.

Amanda sighed, completely frustrated, "Lee and I were supposed to go hiking. There's an old trail we used to hike as kids down off —"

"He cancelled them," Francine stated matter-of-factly as she stood up and moved toward the door again. "Ah, Billy, Beamon is looking for you. Something about the new copy machine in the Steno Pool isn't working correctly."

"How is the copy machine my problem? Tell him to call Maintenance," Billy shook his head as he threw his hands in the air.

"He said he did but Maintenance told him to call you. Now, if you need me I'll be at my desk. And, Amanda, I'm sure Lee's fine. He's probably down at the Turkish Bath's getting a massage. I know that's what I'd be doing if someone asked me to go hiking." Francine said with a smile as she backed out of the office.

Amanda stood quickly. "He's not fine! And, he's not getting a massage! Something, something happened to him. I just..." Amanda said indignantly.

Billy placed his hands on his desk and raised his body up and forward slowly, as he leaned toward Amanda, "You just what, Amanda?" he asked softly, trying to calm her down.

Amanda dropped her chin as she said quietly, "I just know it."

"Amanda, this is Scarecrow we're talking about. I'm sure whatever hung him up, he's completely fine," Billy said softly. "Now, why don't you head home and get some rest? He'll probably call you first thing in the morning with an apology and an explanation."

"Yes, Sir," she muttered, as she moved toward the door. Once in the bullpen, Amanda set her jaw defiantly as she marched toward the elevator. In the Q Bureau, she searched the files on his desk for any clue to what Lee could have been working on. "There has to be something here," she whispered, as she scanned each folder.


	2. Chapter 2

Co-Authored by Tracey Arcieri and Karen LaManna

 **Chapter 2**

As he sat in a floral print wingback chair, facing a large picture window, Gregory sipped his tea and contemplated his next decision as he observed the boats sailing down the Potomac River. He'd just returned from a meeting at the Soviet Embassy where he tried to re-establish his position of power. With a smirk, he took another sip of his tea, satisfied his bargaining chip in the form of Lee Stetson was squirreled away.

 _Finding Stetson was much easier than he'd expected and abducting him was like taking candy from a baby. He hired two Russian mercenaries, Ivan and Dimitri Karamozov, and instructed them to follow him starting at his apartment, which they did for several days. They'd taken pictures of his comings and goings, which they reported to Gregory each morning. Gregory poured over each image, determining which ones held little importance. He studied every face Stetson made contact with, and after initially dismissing Amanda King as just his partner, he soon changed his position. Two nights in a row, she stayed at Stetson's apartment until late in the evening, an event most people wouldn't find unusual for partners; however, Gregory wasn't most people. He'd studied Stetson's face in the images as he walked Mrs. King to her car, he noted how Stetson held her hand and even his expression as he watched her drive away. There was more to their relationship than met the eye. He was certain of that._

 _On the fourth day, Stetson was dressed casually as he left his apartment alone. Ivan and Dimitri followed him discreetly to a narrow, lonely stretch of forested road. Taking advantage of their quiet surroundings, Dimitri managed to shoot out the passenger side rear tire, which forced Lee to stop on the side of the dirt road. The two men pulled their van over just beyond his stopped vehicle. As they exited the van, they could hear Stetson cursing. Ivan pulled his baseball cap down over his eyes as he spoke softly and offered a hand. Stetson didn't even blink as he accepted their help, completely unaware he was the quarry in this case. Recognition never dawned on him. They'd met once before, several years earlier, in a lonely cabin in the woods on Christmas Eve. He never saw the needle coming as Dimitri moved behind him and injected the sedative directly into Stetson's neck. It was only a matter of seconds before he collapsed on the hood of the car, unconscious._

 _Ivan easily lifted Stetson onto his shoulders. He carried him to their van as Dimitri pushed Lee's disabled car into a small ditch and pulled branches off the surrounding trees to cover it. Dimitri trotted back to the van where Ivan was closing the back doors. They drove to the house in Bellevue Forest in Arlington, not far from the water's edge to the ramshackle building on the back end of the property. Once inside, they located the hidden door to the root cellar. It was once used as a hideaway during the civil war for runaway slaves in the Underground Railroad. Dimitri grabbed an old wooden step ladder propped up against one wall. They carefully lowered Stetson down and left him on the metal cot that they'd placed inside earlier that day, under Gregory's command._

 _Neither man spoke until they were back in the van and headed toward the main house. "I don't understand why Gregory wants Stetson unharmed so badly," Ivan stated, his Russian accent thick._

 _"_ _We don't question, we just do what we get paid for! Remember that!" Dimitri snapped as the van stopped beside the house._

 _The men found Gregory as he sat at a large oak desk in the study, reading a newspaper. He merely glanced up at them before he returned to the article he was reading. "I take it Stetson is in place?" he questioned the men without looking up._

 _"_ _Yes, just like you instructed. He is not harmed other than the sedative," Ivan stated._

 _"_ _And he was alone?" Gregory turned the page of his paper._

 _"_ _Da, alone," Dimitri replied this time._

 _"_ _Well done, gentlemen, I'll have your partial payment ready this afternoon once I confirm Stetson is indeed unharmed as you've informed me," Gregory looked up at Dimitri._

 _"_ _Partial? What you mean partial?" Dimitri demanded._

 _"_ _Ah, ah, ah, Dimitri, I assure you, you will receive the full payment once the trade has been made. You have only retrieved my package, I still need to make delivery," he replied cryptically. Gregory closed the newspaper, leaned back and simply stared at the two men as he folded his arms across his chest. "Gentlemen," he dismissed them with one word._

 _Dimitri and Ivan turned, headed back outside and climbed into the van. Gregory stood and walked to the window to watch the van drive away. He checked his watch, then sat back down at the desk. He lifted the phone and dialed. He listened for the ring then without preamble stated, "I have him. Yes. There will be no mistakes. Correct, by weeks end, we will have Kozlov and Stetson will be dead." He hung up the phone and opened a desk drawer. He picked up a Polaroid camera and walked outside toward the building Ivan and Dimitri had left Lee less than an hour before. In the far corner of the building, he lifted the hidden door and peered into the darkness. The murky sunlight streamed in enough for Gregory to see Lee unconscious, face up, on the cot below. He aimed the camera and depressed the button. The camera clicked and whirled before it spit out the image he was convinced would be his ticket back into the good graces of his superiors in the KGB. He laughed loudly as he lowered the door and walked away._

Stetson had been imprisoned in the root cellar for almost twenty hours now. Gregory visited the shack once again before he left for his meeting. He was going to check on Stetson, but as soon as he walked across the floor he heard him yell, "Hey, who's there?" Instead of confronting him at that point, Gregory left with the feeling of satisfaction knowing Stetson had no idea who had him or why. Now, as Gregory contemplated his next move, another thought came to him…Mrs. King. His last interaction with her had left him scratching his head. She was clever and unassuming, not quite an agent, but she was most definitely more than a civilian. He'd watched Harry V. Thornton interact with her and knew she was valuable, but he couldn't figure out why.

He would deal with Mrs. King after Stetson was taken care of once and for all. He wanted the satisfaction of pulling the trigger himself, to see the look on Stetson's face when he died, but Gregory knew that was too risky. He would have to rely on another person to complete the deed and hope he was within range to witness the execution.


	3. Chapter 3

Co-Authored by Tracey Arcieri and Karen LaManna

 **Chapter 3**

Lee sat on the edge of the uncomfortable cot, careful not to tip it again. The last time he'd heard footsteps above him, he called out, but the footsteps retreated. When he rolled to his side to stand, the cot flipped over on him, dumping him unceremoniously onto the damp dirt floor. After righting the cot, he proceeded to sit down when he thought he heard a squeak coming from the corner. _It's just my imagination,_ he thought. _This isn't Istanbul, this isn't the catacombs._

Lee surmised there must be a trap door of some kind in the ceiling. He shuffled his feet, held his arms stretched out as he tried to find the wall. He kept moving until he finally managed to find the corner. He then began another systematic search of the ceiling, running his fingers along every grooved board above his head. He blinked rapidly as dust and dirt sprinkled down onto his face. He listened carefully as he tapped and inspected everything he could touch. When he reached the next corner, he turned and headed back to explore a new section.

As he approached the sound of the water dripping, he heard multiple squeaks and immediately a cold shiver ran down his spine. _It's just the water dripping, it's just the water dripping,_ he repeated over and over, his heart pounding in his chest. He couldn't push down the fear that crept in, as he remembered the week he spent confined to the dark, damp catacombs in Istanbul and the rats that would continuously run over him each time he sat down. The rats would search out the warmth of his body and try to snuggle down, much to his dismay.

"I can hear you out there," he spoke in a low voice, hoping to scare the rodents away. "I'm not going to bother you, you're not going to bother me, and we'll get along just fine." To calm himself, he envisioned Amanda, the night they spent on the Mata Hari. That was the first night he told her about his fear of sleeping in the dark.

With the image of her face glowing by candle light in his mind, he continued to move slowly, his shoulders hunched, but with his arms extended above his head, as he explored the surface above. He stopped several times to swing his arms and massage his shoulders when they became cramped up. He assumed he had been held hostage for at least twenty-four hours, but it was only a guess. With no way to judge the time of day and no way of knowing how long he was unconscious, he wasn't confident with his own estimation. He was hungry, so he knew it had to be more than twelve hours since he last ate unless the sedative he was injected with suppressed his appetite as well, in which case it could have been longer. He recently heard rumors from his Russian contacts, that the KGB was working on new sedatives that would not only incapacitate an individual, but the drugs would also suppress natural indicators in the body to confuse the prisoner as well. With no outside light source to indicate time, the only solution he could come up with, was to begin counting the drips and the time between them. The sound had been consistent since he regained consciousness.

"Amanda is going to know something's wrong, something happened. She always knows," Lee said aloud to the darkness.

What Lee didn't know, was that at almost that exact moment, Amanda was driving slowly down the long stretch of road where he'd been abducted. She left the agency after her fruitless search of his desk and gone home where she paced and worried most of the night. She slept restlessly, tossing and turning, her mind a whirling dervish, screaming out possibilities of all the horrible events that could have occurred. She awoke, more tired than she was when she went to bed. After a hot shower, two cups of coffee and a stack of pancakes she felt reenergized. She tried calling his apartment several times as well as his car phone. The only answer was either his machine or a message stating "your party is currently out of range".

She drove to his apartment hoping he was just asleep and hadn't heard the phone, but his doorman hadn't seen him nor was his car anywhere to be found. Her next stop was the Agency, where Mrs. Marston confirmed he had not checked in with her. Downstairs in the bullpen, she waited impatiently outside Billy's office as he finished his meeting.

"Amanda, any word from Lee yet?" Billy asked with a smile, offering her a chair to sit down in.

Amanda sat on the edge of the cushioned seat and shook her head, "No sir, I was hoping you would have heard from him by now, Mr. Melrose, sir."

Billy leaned back in his chair as he replied, "No, he hasn't called in nor has he been by my office. Did you check the Q Bureau? Maybe he headed–"

"No sir, Mrs. Marston said Lee hasn't been by her desk at all, since the day before yesterday. Sir, I'm really concerned about him now, it's been almost twenty-four hours since I last talked to him and he usually checks in with me when he's going out of town," Amanda insisted, after she cut him off.

"I will admit, it is strange, but Lee's been known to go off the grid before. I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation for why you haven't heard from him," Billy tried to sound reassuring, but his own red flags were beginning to fly. "Did you check his apartment?"

"I called, I talked to his doorman, nothing. No one has seen his car either. Sir, I'm really worried and scared now," Amanda explained, her anxiety clear in the quiver of her voice.

Billy leaned forward to take a long pull on his coffee mug as he contemplated what to do next when Amanda spoke up.

"Sir, I was thinking, maybe I could take a ride following the directions I gave him to where I was supposed to meet him. Maybe there's something there, some clue, if something happened to him," Amanda suggested.

Billy nodded as he agreed, "I think that's an excellent idea, Amanda. Keep me informed."

Amanda stood quickly, as she rushed toward the door, "Thank you, I'll call you right away if I find something, Sir." She walked briskly toward the elevator where she bumped into Francine.

"Amanda, where's the fire?" Francine scolded her, righting the folders she almost dropped.

"I'm just heading out to look for Lee, he's still missing," Amanda called over her shoulder as she stepped into the elevator quickly. Francine watched Amanda disappear into the elevator and shook her head as the doors closed silently.

Now, Amanda drove slowly looking for any signs of an accident or for anything out of place. She was beginning to drive around a bend on the deserted dirt road when a flash of light in her rearview mirror caught her attention. She immediately stopped her car and carefully backed up to where she first saw the glint in the mirror, but she couldn't determine the source. She put her car in park and looked around for any passing cars before she climbed out of her station wagon.

She walked slowly toward the source of the light looking high and low in the trees for anything that looked out of place. When she saw what appeared to be a silver piece of metal in the brush she began to run, fear clutching at her. As she got closer she could easily see something was hidden by branches and her heart sunk when reality struck. She knew it was Lee's car just by the bits of color she could see. She frantically pulled branch after branch off the vehicle, and called out to him, "Lee? Can you hear me? Lee?!" She desperately hoping he wasn't injured too badly but when she pulled the last branch aside her heart sunk when she found the car was empty.

Leaving everything where it was, Amanda immediately drove to the local country store and dialed Billy's number. "Sir? Sir, I found Lee's car. He's not in it but it was hidden in a ditch," she rushed out as soon as she heard his voice.

"Slow down, Amanda. Now, where are you?" he asked as he grabbed a pen in one hand and snapped his fingers at Francine with the other.

"I'm at a payphone at the Country Store on Old Post Road. Lee's car is only about a mile down the road from here," Amanda stated.

"Don't go anywhere. Francine and I will be there in about twenty minutes," Billy stood quickly after writing down the information.

"Sir, I'm scared something bad has happened to him," she admitted softly.

"Just try to stay calm Amanda. Francine and I are on our way," Billy said. "Everything will be all right."

"I hope so, sir," Amanda whispered before hanging up the phone.


	4. Chapter 4

Co-Authored by Tracey Arcieri and Karen LaManna

 **Chapter 4**

"Mr. Melrose, sir?" a petite woman with a dark brown pixie cut opened his office door.

"Yes, Shirley, what is it? I'm on my way out," Billy replied as he pulled his jacket on.

"This envelope was delivered for you. Security checked it already. Initial scan comes back clean," Shirley replied as she handed him a plain brown enlarged envelope with the words "IFF William Melrose" hand printed clearly across the front.

"Billy are you ready? I have a car waiting out front for us," Francine interrupted as she pushed the door open to his office.

"Thank you, Shirley, I'll take it from here," he stated politely. Billy took the envelope and immediately tossed it on his desk.

"What's that?" Francine asked pointing to the envelope as Billy moved around to the front of his desk, straightening his jacket as he did.

"Shirley just brought it in. I have no idea. It's nothing I'm sure," Billy stated before adding, "we should get going. I told Amanda we would be there in twenty."

Francine narrowed her eyes at the envelope. She couldn't help think it was suspicious, no return address, no postage even. "Who delivered it? Billy, this could be important. What if Amanda's right and someone does have Lee? This could possibly be a clue?" she reasoned.

Pursing his lips, Billy used the letter opener on his desk to slice one side of the envelope open. He shook the contents out onto the desk. Staring back at him was a single Polaroid picture of Lee, unconscious on a cot. Without touching the image, he used the letter opener to flip the picture over. Written on the back were the words "Koslov trade".

"Koslov? Someone wants to trade Lee for Koslov?" Francine tried to hide the panic in her voice.

"Apparently, but right now I need to get this to forensics and we need to get to Amanda," Billy declared as he picked up the phone. In less than five minutes, the picture and envelope were picked up by a forensics agent to check for any fingerprints and Francine and Billy were rushing toward the awaiting sedan Francine had secured for them.

Billy drove well over the speed limit, ignoring the posted signs, toward the store where Amanda was waiting for them. He pulled into the dirt parking lot with a cloud of dust kicking up behind his tires as Amanda paced back and forth by her car.

"Sir, I was afraid you got lost. I feel like I've been waiting for hours," she explained as she rushed over to the car.

"No, we've had a development. A photograph of Lee was delivered just after you called. Someone wants to trade him for Koslov," Billy stated. "Now, let's not waste any more time. Can you show us where you found his car?"

Amanda just nodded as she turned and climbed into her station wagon. She pulled out of the parking lot and turned right, while Billy followed close behind. They covered the distance in just a few minutes, Amanda jumped out of her car as soon as she stopped. She pointed to the area she uncovered, "There! I found Lee's car there, but I didn't touch anything just like they taught us. I waited for you to get here," she explained with a nod, her voice shaking.

Billy motioned to Francine who immediately picked up the portable phone they had brought, and she called in a forensics team with a tow truck. Instead of sitting back and waiting, Billy stated, "Let's look around, see if we see anything unusual. Call out if you do but don't touch anything. We'll leave that to the team when they get here."

They looked around slowly. Amanda jumped when she heard Francine call out, "I see a syringe, near the front end of the car."

"That would explain why it doesn't look like he struggled," Billy stated. They completed their search just as the trucks pulled up. Billy barked out orders and the systematic photographing and searching began. Lee's car was dusted for fingerprints across the hood before it was loaded onto the tow truck. The syringe was bagged, labeled and rushed back to the agency labs for testing on any remaining substance. "While they finish up, we need to head back to the Agency and see what we can get on Koslov. We need to figure out who might want him and who might have Scarecrow," Billy commanded.

"Yes, sir!" Amanda replied, as she climbed into her car and followed Billy and Francine back to the Agency.

No one paid attention to the van that drove slowly past the forensics team an hour later. "Should we tell Gregory?" Ivan asked Dimitri nervously.

"Tell him what? They found the car, that's it. What else do they know? Nothing!" Dimitri spat as he continued to drive to the house where Gregory was waiting impatiently.

"Did you deliver the package?" he demanded.

"Da, dropped it off at IFF just like you instructed. Ivan wore a delivery man hat and sunglasses, and he also kept his head down so the cameras wouldn't get a good picture," Dimitri explained.

"Good, good. Now I just need to contact Mr. Melrose and set up our trade," Gregory said as he unbuttoned his suit coat. He reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a gold pocket watch. He checked the time and dismissed Dimitri and Ivan again when he handed Dimitri an envelope and stated, "Gentlemen, payment as we discussed."

Dimitri took the envelope and walked out, Ivan just steps behind him. Gregory lifted the phone receiver and dialed the main line for IFF. "William Melrose, please. Just tell him it's Gregory, he'll take the call." Gregory waited quietly.

"Gregory! What rock have your crawled out from under?" Billy asked as he answered the phone. Amanda and Francine were sitting in his office when the switchboard informed him of the call. Amanda was holding the photograph studying every detail when the phone rang. Francine immediately started recording the call while a trace was activated.

"No rocks, Melrose, this is just another part of the game," Gregory replied. He paused before he continued, "No time to waste, I'll get straight to the point. You have someone I want, I have someone you want. It's a simple trade, only this time no games." Gregory moved toward the open window as he spoke. From a distance he could hear the church bells as they chimed and just outside his window the high-pitched piercing call of a bird that irritated him. Gregory slammed the window close as he waited for Billy's response.

"Gregory, I'm not sure I understand," Billy stated slowly, hoping he could drag the conversation out to give the trace enough time to find out where Gregory was calling from.

"Stetson for Koslov, Friday. I'll send you details of the location later," Gregory informed him before he hung up the phone without waiting for a response.

Billy looked up at Francine. "Well?" he asked expectantly.

Francine shook her head as she depressed the stop button on the recorder, "Not even close. Gregory knew we were trying to trace him. He knows how it works. But now, we know who has Lee."

"Sir why would Gregory want Lee?" Amanda asked, her eyebrows raised high.

"He wants to trade Lee for Koslov, the KGB agent we picked up three weeks ago," Billy stated as he sat back in his chair exhaling.

Francine hit rewind on the cassette tape. When it clicked she depressed play, Gregory's voice filled the room. The trio listened to the conversation intently, while Billy brought his hands together as he concentrated on the voices. "Without a trace, we'll have to wait until Gregory contacts us again with the location information," Francine groused.

"Sir, can you play that again?" Amanda asked.

Francine glared at her. "Amanda, what do you think you can possibly come up with? Gregory knew we would try to trace the call. He said what he needed to, nothing more, nothing less" she snapped.

"Francine, I think I heard something. Something in the background sounds familiar. Please, can you play it again?" Amanda begged.

"Really, Amanda, this is ridiculous. We're wasting time here," Francine groaned.

"Sir, please? I know I heard something. Maybe it's a clue where Lee might be?" Amanda turned to Billy.

Billy studied Amanda's face before he made a decision. He trusted Amanda's intuition just as much as he trusted Francine's training. Touching his steepled fingers to his lips he commanded, "Play it again."


	5. Chapter 5

Co-Authored by Tracey Arcieri and Karen LaManna

 **Chapter 5**

Lee's hand twitched as it dangled off the edge of the cot and skimmed the dirt floor. His shoulders and neck were still cramped from his search of the ceiling. He was sweating and as soon as he laid down, he was dizzy, and a coppery taste formed in his mouth. Time was lost on him. He tried to calculate how long he may have been down there, but he was having a hard time focusing. He closed his eyes to try to stop the room from spinning. He couldn't figure out how long he had been in that position.

He drifted in and out of consciousness, Amanda's face floating through his mind. He whispered her name, the sound of his voice foreign to his own ears. He draped one arm across his forehead while the other fell off the side of the cot. Lee snapped awake as he felt a small pinch on his finger tip, a small warm body settled into his palm and a long-textured tail wrapped around his wrist. He jerked his hand upward, as a small squeal followed by the sound of scampering was heard. Lee forced himself to a sitting position, while he pulled his legs up onto the cot. He wrapped his arms around them and rested his head on his knees. This is the position he was in when the hidden door creaked open in the corner of the ceiling and Gregory's voice floated down. "Stetson!"

Lee inhaled before he replied, "Gregory, I should have guessed."

"Move to the light so I can see you," Gregory commanded as he squatted by the entrance.

Lee slowly moved off the cot toward the dim light filtering down. He glanced around the room and shuttered when he saw the small group of rats as they scampered around in the corner. He watched them long enough to see them squeezing in and out of a crack. With a small shudder, he turned back toward the opening above him, using his hand to shield the light. He was using what little strength he had left to appear stronger than he felt.

"You won't be here much longer," Gregory informed him. "I've already requested a trade for Koslov. Just another day or two, long enough for Mr. Melrose to make the arrangements and you'll be a free man."

"What, no grand game? No poetry? Excuse me if I don't believe you, Gregory. It's never been that easy with you," Lee spat at him, the venom dripping from his every word.

"You cut me to the quick, Stetson. I'm just attempting to re-establish my footing in the chain of command. You of all people should understand that," Gregory straightened himself up, brushing imaginary dust off his immaculate suit. "I'll be back."

"Gregory, wait!" Lee called out in vain, but his only response was Gregory dropping the door back in place. Lee heard the distinct sound of metal scraping on metal and knew trying to push the door open again would be fruitless. He blinked continuously, as he tried to adjust back to the darkness, bright spots of color still swirled around before him. The dizziness became worse, so he carefully shuffled back to the cot and curled onto his side and tucked his hands under his arms tightly. "Amanda," he whispered as he closed his eyes again.

"Amanda!" Francine snapped.

"Please, Francine play it one more time. I know I've heard those bells before, I just need to remember where," Amanda lifted her head, brown eyes staring into hard, cold blue ones.

Amanda was sitting in Mr. Melrose's office, staring at the picture of Lee as she listened to the recording for the seventh time. Francine was angry, punching the buttons forcefully each time Amanda asked to hear it again.

"Billy, this is just a waste of time. We've listened to this recording seven times already!" Francine moaned as she slammed the rewind button again.

"Amanda, are you sure you've heard that sound before? I mean, it sounds like ordinary church bells to me. They could be anywhere!" Billy stated as he rocked in his chair.

"No, those bells are very specific. I know I've heard them, I'm just trying to remember where I was. We've been to a few different churches lately, so I want to make sure I have it right," Amanda insisted.

Francine rolled her eyes but pressed the play button anyway. Amanda leaned forward again as she rubbed her temple with her fingers trying to concentrate. She was still staring at the photograph when she exclaimed, "I got it! I recognize this!" She waved the photograph in her hand. "Francine, stop that for a minute, please. Sir, this picture, where Lee is being held. It reminds me of the old storm cellar my Great Uncle Iggy in Topeka had. Around here they call them root cellars. You see, we used to play hide and seek in Uncle Iggy's when we were kids, well, that was before he ran away with the cult to become a wizard. But anyway, that's got to be where Lee's being held, in an old root cellar." She looked from Billy's face to Francine with her eyes wide, eyebrows high.

"Great! A root cellar in Virginia or anywhere else in the surrounding community. Amanda, do you realize how utterly useless that sounds right now? How many old homes there are in the DC area alone?" Francine sighed heavily as she looked up at the ceiling.

"I'm sorry, Francine, I'm just trying to help. I can't just sit by and think Lee's out there, somewhere, and not do anything to try to help find him," Amanda said quietly, looking down at her lap.

"And we appreciate your help," Billy said nicely before snapping in Francine's direction, "Don't we, Francine?"

"Billy, we haven't made any more progress than we did an hour ago," Francine snapped back.

"Francine, please, can you press play one more time?" Amanda begged as she leaned forward toward the speaker on the desk.

Francine groaned loudly but did as she was asked and depressed the button one more time. Amanda closed her eyes and listened intently, her head nodding with each chime. She began muttering the tune the church bells played, repeating the notes over and over until she declared, "I got it! It's the church bells from St. Peters Episcopal in Arlington."

Billy leaned forward and asked, "You're sure?"

Amanda nodded enthusiastically as she explained, "Yes, sir. I'm positive, sir. You see a few months ago, Jamie's teacher was getting married and she enjoyed his class so much, she invited all the students to her ceremony. I took him and three of his classmates all dressed up in their Sunday best down to the church. Oh, you should have seen how handsome the boys looked, but anyway, the church bells chime every hour and we were there for so long because after the service his teacher wanted to take pictures with the kids. So, I definitely heard the bells several times while I was there."

Francine shook her head, frustrated again, "Amanda, so what? So, what if that is the church, how many homes are in that area? How far away could he be, huh?"

Amanda looked down at her hands sadly as Billy jumped to his feet as he yelled, "Enough, Francine! Go see what you can dig up about Koslov while you cool off!"

Francine looked at him as she tried to explain, "But, Billy, I was just trying to point out…" However, when Billy glared at her she closed her mouth quickly. Without another word, she left the office.

"Amanda, I know you are just trying to help and I appreciate everything you're doing. Now, is there anything else you heard you think might be helpful?" Billy asked reassuringly.

Amanda shook her head yes and replied quietly, "The bird, sir."

"The bird?" Billy asked, confused. Amanda's ability to identify seemingly common items astounded him.

"Yes, sir, the bird. You can hear it between the church bells. It's a Brown Creeper, Sir," Amanda looked up, her eyes damp with tears.

"And, how can you identify it's a … brown creep…" Billy replied slowly, as he attempted to understand.

"A Brown Creeper, Sir. Last year, Philip was working on a badge for the Junior Trailblazers on endangered birds living in this region. The Brown Creeper isn't endangered per say but it is protected under the US Migratory Bird Treaty Act. He had to be able to identify the bird by its call. That is the call of the male responding to the church bells. It's a very common phenomenon," Amanda replied matter-of-factly although her voice quivered.

"Do the birds live in any specific area?" Billy prodded knowing Amanda was full of untapped knowledge.

"Yes, Sir, they live mainly near Bellevue Forest, by the Potomac River," Amanda inhaled, as she tried to stop her tears from falling.

Billy moved around his desk and put his hand on Amanda's shoulder as he said, "We'll find him, Amanda, don't you worry."


	6. Chapter 6

Co-Authored by Tracey Arcieri and Karen LaManna

 **Chapter 6**

Amanda drove towards her house frustrated. Francine managed to get under her skin to the point it upset her, and now Amanda was more determined than ever to prove her worth. The first place she headed was to her local library, however as soon as she pulled into the empty parking lot she remembered the library closed early. She checked the times posted on the door and confirmed it would open again at nine o'clock the next morning.

She drove home, the few facts she knew spinning through her mind. "Mother? Fellas?" she called out to her quiet house. On the counter in the kitchen she found a handwritten note from her mother, "The boys are sleeping over Andy's house tonight. I have a date, don't wait up for me." Sighing loudly, she let the note flutter back onto the counter as she looked around the empty room. She spotted a few books left on the table in the family room. She shook her head as she crossed the room and bent down to pick up the stack. "How many times have I told the boys to put away the encyclopedias when they're finished doing their research?" she whispered aloud. She started to put the books away when she stopped. "That's it!" she exclaimed.

She ran her fingers along the spines of the books as she whispered, "U, U, U?" The books were out of sequence, so she spent a few minutes reorganizing and sorting, discovering two books were missing. She looked around the room, under the couch and in the bookcase to no avail. Frustrated even more, she dropped down onto the couch and immediately jumped back up. Hidden under the throw pillow behind her was one of the two missing books. "Okay, you want to play that game," she muttered as she lifted the remaining pillows, finding snack wrappers hidden under one and Philip's unfinished math homework under another. "That boy!" she griped as she threw away the wrappers and left his homework on the counter.

She surveyed the room one last time before she ran up the steps toward the boys' bedroom where she found the missing book on Jamie's bed. She checked the spine and confirmed aloud, "Taylor to Utah, the Underground Railroad will definitely be here." She carried the book back down to the kitchen where she found a notepad and a pencil in the drawer. She flipped open the encyclopedia and began making notes on anything related to the surrounding area.

Several hours and two encyclopedias later, she heard her mother stumble through the front door, laughing and calling goodbye to someone. Amanda heard the sound of a car engine pulling away and the front door closed. Dotty walked into the kitchen, carrying her shoes in one hand and her purse in the other. She jumped when she saw Amanda sitting at the counter, the open books and the notepad filled with notes. "Amanda, what are you doing?" she exclaimed.

Amanda looked around to her pile of research and thought fast. "Do you remember last year when Jamie wrote his research paper on Harriet Tubman?" she asked.

"Yes, he was so proud of himself for that paper. The first A plus he got from Mrs. Anderson, as a matter of fact I think it was the only A plus she gave out all year, why?" Dotty replied.

"Well, we're doing a documentary on homes in the area that may have been part of the Underground Railroad, so I was just trying to see if there were any close by, you know, so we could use them in the piece," Amanda shrugged her shoulders as she hoped silently her mother would believe her story.

"Amanda," Dotty stated as she put her hands on her shoulders, "I hope this company appreciates all the extra work you put in. I mean, here it is almost midnight, and you're elbow deep in encyclopedias. You should put this away and get some rest, darling."

Amanda smiled weakly at her mother as she replied, "I will as soon as I finish this." Dotty kissed Amanda on the cheek, turned and climbed the stairs. Amanda heard the door click closed as she focused back on the page before her. She shook her head, rubbed her eyes then closed the book with a thump. "Francine would never have thought to do this, I bet," Amanda muttered as she turned off the light and headed off to bed.

She tossed and turned for almost an hour, images of Lee floating through her mind kept her awake. "That's it," she declared quietly as she climbed out of bed to change her clothes. Amanda crept down to the kitchen and left her mother a note before she left. She drove the familiar roads, now vacant of any other traffic to Lee's apartment building. The doorman nodded as she entered. "George, Mr. Stetson was called away for work and he asked me to feed his fish. I got all the way here and realized I forgot his key at home. Would you mind?" Amanda asked sweetly.

"Mr. Stetson's lucky to have a good friend that's willing to come out this time of night just to feed his fish," George replied as he gestured for her to follow him toward Lee's apartment.

"Well to be honest, I should have done it earlier, but I lost track of time," Amanda stated in her best attempt to appear sheepish.

George smiled politely as he unlocked Lee's door and ushered her inside, "Remember to lock up when you leave, Mrs. King."

Amanda stepped inside and flipped the switch bathing the room in bright light. She wandered from room to room, as she tried to feel closer to Lee. In his bedroom, she straightened the wrinkles on his spread and lifted a pillow to her nose finding comfort in the mere scent of him. She took the pillow with her to the living room where she noticed magazines and mail haphazardly strewn across the coffee table, along with a half-filled coffee mug. She shook her head and with a sigh she said, "I guess I'll just pick up a few things then head home."

Amanda tried to his mail into multiple neat piles, one for bills, one for junk and one for items she was unsure about. In the middle of the pile of mail she found his comb, the same comb she teased him about a few years before. A simple Ace comb with two teeth missing that was as Lee had stated, "the correct comb" for his hair. She fingered the comb sadly before she moved to organize the stack of magazines. She scooped the stack into one before she separated the periodicals by category. The glossy paper was slippery and before long, the pile slipped off her lap to the floor. When she reached down to pick up a few of the magazines, something fluttered out onto the floor. She thought it was just a reply card until she picked it up and flipped it over. She inhaled sharply as her misty eyes focused on a photograph of her and Lee at the Embassy party they had attended just a few weeks before. Amanda had worn the handmade black dress she knew he loved and they had spent more time on the dance floor in each other's arms than anywhere else.

Amanda fingered the image of his face lightly before she placed the photo beside his comb, swiped the tear from her eye and straightened the stack of magazines, foregoing her initial sort. "He's going to be okay, I know he will," she whispered before picking up the pillow she'd carried from his bedroom. She held his pillow tightly as the tears fell and fear took over. Outside his window she heard a bird chirping, her mind immediately churning with thoughts of Lee still held captive. "Oh, Lee, where are you? I need you here to tell me it's going to be okay. There are so many things you need to know," she lamented. She allowed the tears to fall before she steeled herself and thought, _You have to be brave, Amanda. Get it together. Tears aren't going to help him right now. When he's back in your arms, tell him how you really feel._ She wiped her tears roughly, carried his pillow back to his bed and drove home. Amanda fell asleep in her own bed with a new resolve to find him with or without anyone else's help.

Early the next morning, Amanda woke before her alarm despite only having slept a few hours. She took a quick shower, dressed and found her mother downstairs already awake. "Amanda, are you alright? You seem rather sad?" Dotty asked as she handed her a steaming cup of coffee.

Amanda shrugged her shoulders in reply as she sipped her coffee. She formulated a plan for her day, which included a trip to the library and town hall to find land records before she headed to the Agency to share her findings with Billy. "Mother, I'm probably going to be out all day and maybe even later this evening. We're on location today so I'm sure I'll be pretty busy," Amanda stated over her mug.

"Always working, Amanda. When are you going to take some time just for you? I mean, how are you ever going to meet someone if all you do is work," Dotty groused from the breakfast nook.

Amanda placed her mug in the sink and replied, "Goodbye, Mother, I love you."

"And I love you too Sweetheart, but remember what I said," she called after her. Amanda's response was the slamming of the front door.


	7. Chapter 7

Co-Authored by Tracey Arcieri and Karen LaManna

 **Chapter 7**

"Yes, Vladimir, all the arrangements have been made. Stetson will be in the open tomorrow morning during the trade. Take him out and payment will be made in full within the hour," Gregory confirmed to Vladimir Ashkenowitz, a well-known Russian assassin. Ashkenowitz had the highest sharpshooting kill rate than any other hired mercenary at the time. Gregory had just made the call to Billy to set up the trade with Koslov at an old mattress factory on the outskirts of DC. "Good, by this time tomorrow, Stetson will be dead and Koslov with be on his way back to Russian soil," Gregory stated before he hung up the phone.

He stood and walked outside toward the back of the property to check on Lee again. As soon as he walked into the small shack, he heard Lee calling from below.

"Gregory, dammit," Lee shouted, his voice sounding hoarse and irritated.

Gregory opened the trap door, only this time he found Lee standing beneath the opening. Lee attempted to jump up and grab the edge, but he was weak from lack of food and water and the sedative he'd been injected with. Gregory easily knocked him back with a carefully placed kick to Lee's shoulder as he tried to pull himself up. Lee fell hard on the ground below with a thud as Gregory laughed loudly at his predicament. "I see you still don't give up, even when the odds are stacked against you, do you, Stetson?" Gregory teased. "No worries, after tomorrow you'll be traded for Koslov and I'll be on my way, a happy man. I can live the rest of my days knowing I made a difference -"

Lee cut him off, "What do you mean 'a difference'? You're not going to get off that easy and you know it. Billy will find a way -"

"Ah, ah, ah, Billy is the one making the arrangements. I'm sure right now, as we speak," Gregory informed him.

Billy had initially balked at the plans, stating how unsecure the location was but Gregory insisted there would be no trade unless it was under his terms. Billy finally conceded as Amanda walked through his office door, a notepad in one hand, a file folder in the other. "Sir?" she asked as he hung up the phone.

"Amanda how are you doing today?" Billy asked with a strained smile. Amanda could tell something was bothering him. His donut was still sitting uneaten on his desk and his coffee mug was still full.

"Sir, I found a few things I think can help find Lee. Now, last night I searched the encyclopedias we keep at home for the boys and I searched for information on the Underground Railroad. This morning, I went to both the library and the town hall. I found there are nineteen homes in the Bellevue Forest area that were all built during the early 1800s and of those homes, six of them were known to have been used for hiding people for the Underground Railroad," Amanda explained as she handed him her notepad.

Billy skimmed the pages, as he nodded his head and said, "Well done, Amanda, I'll send this down and have a few agents assigned to search the properties. See if they can find anything."

Amanda opened the file folder and handed Billy copies of land maps from the area, each home marked. "Maybe these will help. It includes the Parcel numbers, addresses, the year built for each property, any additional buildings, parcel size…" Amanda's voice trailed off as Billy looked up at her, his eyes wide in astonishment.

"Amanda, you got all of this since yesterday afternoon?" he asked bewildered.

Amanda shrugged her shoulders and replied, "It all started with Jamie's research paper on Harriet Tubman. Then, well, you just have to know how to ask the right questions at the Town Hall, I guess. And of course, maybe it helps when the Town Clerk and I have been on the PTA at school for the last few years. She didn't even question why I was looking for the information."

Billy shook his head as he replied, "I have to say, I am impressed."

"Impressed with… Oh, Amanda, I didn't realize you were here," Francine said dryly as she walked in the office.

"Good morning to you too, Francine," Amanda muttered as she rolled her eyes.

"Billy, I have that information you were looking for on Koslov. He's a real character, no wonder he got picked up. Apparently, he has a knack for hacking into the wrong computers. He tried to hack the Pentagon and got caught, but not before he managed to download and disburse hundreds of electronic files. The boys over there are still trying to sort it all out," Francine explained as she handed Billy a green file folder.

Billy took the file and thumbed through the pages. "Looks like he hacked a few networks for our friends in the Middle East as well. The question is, what does Gregory want with him?" Billy asked pensively.

"I don't know but he could be a loose cannon if he's back on the market. I heard the KGB is willing to put him on an open payroll…" Francine trailed off.

"Sir, do you really think you could find Lee before the trade?" Amanda questioned nervously.

Francine narrowed her eyes at Amanda as she retorted, "Amanda, we have how many agents working on gathering information about Gregory and Koslov, not to mention scoping out the meeting place? How do you possibly think we are going to find him before tomorrow morning? After all it's not like we really know where to start looking."

Billy leaned back in his chair, a smile spread across his face as he replied, "Well, thanks to Amanda's hard work last night and this morning, it appears we may have narrowed it down to a small area in an Arlington neighborhood."

"Billy, you can't be serious?" Francine asked incredulously. "You're not honestly entertaining the idea that Amanda might actually be right about the whole bells and basement thing, are you?"

"Well, Francine, given all the facts Amanda has presented me with this morning, I think it's a good place to start anyway," Billy informed her.

"No offense, Amanda, but we have people that have been doing this kind of work for years and not even they could narrow it down that fast," Francine insulted her.

Amanda stood up angrily as she gritted, "You're right, Francine. How could I POSSIBLY know about anything that's practically in my own backyard?!" Amanda stormed toward the door. She spun around before leaving to call back, "I'm sorry, Sir, but I can't stay here any longer."

Francine started at her back as Amanda disappeared through the bullpen. "Well, that was a bit uncalled for," she said as she rolled her eyes.

"Desmond, that is quite enough," Billy yelled. "Amanda put in a lot of time and effort pulling information together and you just dismissed her like yesterday's news."

"Billy, I –" Francine started but Billy cut her off.

"And furthermore, your attitude toward Amanda needs some serious adjusting. You've been nothing but disrespectful and mean spirited since this began," Billy berated her.

Francine dropped her chin when reality dawned on her. "You know what, you're right. I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I'll apologize to Amanda when I see her. This was unprofessional of me."

Billy nodded his head and replied, "Good, now let's hope she calms down quickly so we can focus all our energy on finding Scarecrow before tomorrow."

 _I'll find Lee myself if I have too!_ Amanda thought as she pursed her lips and walked briskly toward the elevator to the parking lot. Once she was safely in her car, Amanda took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "Don't worry, Lee. I'll find you without help from anyone else!" she muttered loudly as she backed out of the parking spot.

Amanda drove home to change her clothes into jeans and a sweatshirt with a pair of comfortable sneakers, thankful her mother was noticeably absent. She was glad she had thought to make two sets of copies of the location information in case she needed multiple copies for her report. She took the second set with her and drove toward the first address.


	8. Chapter 8

Co-Authored by Tracey Arcieri and Karen LaManna

 **Chapter 8**

Dimitri and Ivan walked inside the ramshackle building, Lee immediately yelled from below, "Hey! Hey, who's there?"

Ivan squatted down to open the small door and instructed, "Mr. Stetson, you need to stop yelling. It will be over soon so save your energy."

Lee squinted in the bright light and tried to focus on the face looking down at him. It was vaguely familiar, but his brain was foggy, and he couldn't place it. "I know you," he stated enigmatically, his voice hoarse.

"Enough! We were told to check on him, nothing more!" Dimitri snapped at Ivan. Ivan glanced down once more at Lee before he closed and latched the door again.

Lee could do nothing but yell out once more, "Hey, come on! Don't leave me here! Hey! Hey!" He could hear the retreating footsteps across the floor fade away. "Damn!" he swore, partially under his breath. He coughed loudly, his chest starting to hurt from the lack of fresh air. He counted off steps to get back to the cot without having to feel his way across the room.

Lee sat on the edge and coughed again, this time a long spasmed cough. His eyes burned from the dust and mold particles floating around him. Each time he laid down, panic would set in. As soon as he stopped moving, he could hear the squeaks and shuffling of the rats from the corner.

Lee leaned forward and hung his head, his forearms resting on his knees. His head was pounding with the sound of blood rushing through his ears. His heart raced, although, he was sitting perfectly still. _Dehydration,_ he thought, _it must be signs of dehydration._ Lee tried to remember the last time he had something to drink but his muddled brain fought him. He debated sampling the water dripping in the corner, but the fear of getting closer to the small cluster of squirming bodies prevailed. _I can do this, I just need to stay calm and hang on a little longer. Amanda will know something is wrong, she'll convince Billy. I know she will. She always does. When I didn't show up for our hike and picnic she is going to know something happened to me. I can always count on her when it comes to keeping me safe. After all, she's my partner and that's what partners do._ Lee rubbed his hands through his hair as one more thought crossed his mind. _Who are you kidding, Stetson, Amanda King is much more than just a partner to you! She's your whole world, your light. Without her, you're surrounded by the darkness._

Amanda drove to the first address on the list and parked her car on the street. She looked in her rear-view mirror and sighed. "Come on, Amanda, you can do this. Just look around, act normal, pretend you're looking for your lost dog," she tried to boost her own confidence. She was pretty sure she could pull it off unless she bumped into Gregory himself. She climbed out of her car and glanced around before she moved toward the house. She didn't see any cars in the driveway, so she quickly moved toward the backyard. "Shoot!" she breathed. The small yard was fenced in on three sides with no additional buildings in the area she could see. She pulled the copy of the land survey from her back pocket and tried to orient herself. She quickly dismissed the potential of this property, because the corner where the structure was depicted on the land survey was now a swing set. She quickly jogged back to her car and drove toward the next address two miles away.

The second house was much like the first, the landscape having been changed since the last time the survey was done, the possibility of Lee being hidden there too slim in Amanda's opinion. She shook her head, pursed her lips in frustration and drove toward the third house on her list. The house was located at the end of a cul-de-sac that bordered on the edge of the Potomac Overlook Regional Park. Amanda drove down the street slowly keeping her eye on the both sides of the street. She neared the large Colonial style home, set back from the street and blocked by a large iron fence. She couldn't help observe the gated driveway was very out of place in the small neighborhood. Thinking this house had serious potential and the neighborhood wouldn't do well to hide her car, Amanda drove away and found a small restaurant about a half mile away where she could easily leave her car without fear someone would call the police for a strange vehicle in the neighborhood. She was going to stick to her story of searching for a lost dog as she walked back toward the house.

When she turned onto the street, she looked around for any neighbors that may be outside. The street appeared deserted, no one outside of their homes, very few cars in driveways. Amanda checked her watch then chastised herself, "Really, Amanda, it's a weekday. Everyone is probably at work." Behind her she heard the distinct sound of an engine, so she ducked her head and called out, "Come on, boy, come on." An older-model banged up van rumbled past her slowly. It stopped before the gate and one man climbed out to push the gate open as the driver slowly rolled through before the man closed the gate again. Amanda glanced toward him and waved in a friendly gesture as if she belonged in the neighborhood. The man waved back and as he turned, Amanda immediately recognized him. She never forgot Dimitri's face after he jumped out and grabbed her in the woods that Christmas Eve, but, she also never forgot his kindness. He'd made the trek to the car to retrieve the first aid kit that not only helped save Lee's life but Ivan's as well. _Why would Dimitri be here… unless,_ Amanda thought as she walked toward the backyard of the house beside her. She tried to appear casual as she watched Dimitri close the gate out of the corner of her eye. She saw a child's treehouse in the backyard and quickly climbed up, hoping it was as sturdy as the one in her yard. From this vantage point, she was able to see over the fence and into the property next door.

In the distance, the church bells began to chime as Amanda watched the van roll slowly toward the house and came to a stop. Both men climbed out and to her relief, Gregory exited the building to meet them. She breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the men talk and although she couldn't hear them, she watched as Gregory gestured toward the back of the house and then again at the van.

"So, you both understand the plan? Tomorrow morning, we will transport Mr. Stetson from here to the old mattress factory in DC. There, you will wait until Kozlov is safely in our possession. Once Stetson has been eliminated, we will bring Kozlov directly to the Embassy where we will be welcomed with open arms, gentlemen," Gregory explained in detail, his smile growing larger as he spoke.

Ivan looked nervously at Dimitri as he said "Gregory, I still don't understand why."

Gregory narrowed his eyes at Ivan and stated, "You don't need to understand. You just need to follow orders. Remember, you won't get paid until the job is done. Stetson's a dead man and Kozlov is ours." Without waiting for a reply, Gregory turned and walked back into the house, leaving Ivan uncomfortably shifting from one foot to the other as he stared at his retreating form.

"Dimitri, I have a bad feeling about this," Ivan admitted quietly once Gregory closed the door.

"You think too much," Dimitri scolded him before he added, "We don't do what he says, we don't get paid. It's as simple as that."

Ivan shook his head and walked toward the back of the house, his hands jammed in his pockets, contemplating what was awaiting them the next day. He leaned against a porch rail and lit a cigarette, the tendrils of smoke drifted upward. Dimitri followed him, sat down and propped his feet up on the rail.

"Why is this bothering you so much. It's a работа, a job, nothing more," Dimitri scolded him.

Ivan took a long drag on his cigarette, the ash tip glowing bright red before he released it, exhaling a puff of grey smoke, "Do you remember that night in the forest?"

Dimitri waved him away with a flick of his hand, "Bah, one night doesn't change anything."

"Da, but that Mr. Stetson, he could have killed us. He would have killed us, of that I'm sure, but that woman with him, I keep thinking about her," Ivan explained.

"You're soft," Dimitri spit as he crossed his arms and looked toward the ramshackle building in the far corner of the yard, partially hidden by the trees.

Ivan flicked the cigarette out into the yard as he turned away from Dimitri. "I still don't like this."


	9. Chapter 9

Co-Authored by Tracey Arcieri and Karen LaManna

 **Chapter 9**

"Desmond, what is the status on the address list Amanda gave us?" Billy stepped out of his office and bellowed across the bullpen.

Francine, on the phone, held her hand up indicating she would be right there. She nodded as she jotted something down, confirming, "Ok, I got it. I'll let Billy know. Keep looking." She gathered up the notepad she was writing on and quickly crossed the bullpen to Billy's office.

"What have you got?" Billy demanded as he closed the door behind her. As the hours passed, he became inexplicably nervous. After Amanda stormed out of his office, he couldn't shake the feeling she was going to go off on her own to look for Lee.

Francine pulled out a map, the locations all marked with a circle. She crossed off the first one with a red marker as she said, "Well, there are two teams out looking at the addresses Amanda found. Alpha team has checked out two of them. The first location was a dead end, nothing hidden that they could find." She drew several circles around another marked area, "The second location, here, has several small buildings on the property and the homeowner is not too happy with just giving them permission to search without a warrant."

"What about Beta team?" Billy questioned.

"Beta is still on their first location. They found a small tunnel system under one shed and they are following it toward the Potomac. So far that's all they've found, no sign of Lee, no sign of Gregory," Francine informed him. She marked the location using a blue marker this time.

"So, three down, three to go," Billy confirmed.

"Really, Billy, I still feel like this a little bit of a wild goose chase," Francine admitted. "Why don't we call this off and wait it out. Why waste all these man hours for nothing?"

Billy narrowed his eyes at Francine and pinched his lips together. "Why are you so dead set against this?" he challenged. Francine wasn't immediately forthcoming with an answer. Billy tilted his head and crossed his arms as he tried to discern what was going through her mind when it dawned on him. "You don't want to pursue this because you still think Amanda might be right, don't you?"

Francine shook her head in a weak attempt to disagree with him. "No, Billy, I just think maybe we should be putting our efforts into figuring out what Gregory might do next."

"You're sure this has nothing to do with Amanda?" Billy insisted. Francine shook her head again. "Speaking of Amanda, have you seen or heard from her since this morning?"

"Not since she stormed out," Francine confirmed.

"I have a bad feeling about this. Call her house, see if her mother has seen or heard from her. Knowing her, she's gone off on her own to go look for Scarecrow," Billy lamented.

"Billy, you don't think she'd really…" Francine's voice trailed off with the thought it was a real possibility.

"We may have TWO missing individuals on our hands," Billy stated quietly as his thoughts drifted to where Amanda could possibly be.

"Why did I climb up here?" Amanda muttered as she tried to shift in the small treehouse. Her legs were cramped from sitting in the same position for over an hour. When she heard a car pull into the driveway, she panicked just a little. She ducked down and hoped the family would head directly inside. She heard several children's voices and an adult male's voice instructing them into the house to get their homework done. She glanced at her watch and realized how late in the day it had become. When the voices faded away, she took a chance and stretched up just high enough to scan the yard. When she didn't see anyone, she sat up a little higher and looked over the fence in the direction where the van was still parked.

The sun was just beginning to set when she finally watched Ivan and Dimitri climb into the van and slowly back down the driveway. Dimitri climbed out once again to open the gate as Ivan backed onto the street. Once the gate was closed and locked, they drove off, their headlights sweeping a bright patch of light across the yard where Amanda was still hidden.

She waited until the van was completely out of sight before she looked around to determine the easiest way over the fence and into the yard beyond. She saw a tree branch just above her head that extended close enough to another tree in the yard. _If I can just climb from one branch to the other one without being seen,_ she thought. She took a deep breath, stepped onto the wall of the treehouse and used the tree trunk for balance as she climbed onto the branch above. Once she found her balance, she scooted her body along the branch. The branch held firm with no sign of bending or breaking. She neared the second branch and leaned forward, as she hoped this one was just as sturdy as the first. Carefully, she shifted her weight onto the second tree, her heart pounded in her chest.

Amanda inched her way forward toward the tree trunk. She looked down and with a sigh of relief, she could see the fence below her. She tried to move a little faster but froze when she heard a distinctive cracking sound. "Oh no," she groaned aloud. She felt the branch shift slightly behind her as she moved forward again. "Oh my gosh," she moaned as the branch began to bend downward, taking her with it. She wrapped her arms and legs around the branch and held on tight as it slowly arched closer to the ground. The branch stopped bending and Amanda hung several feet off the ground still, clinging tightly. She glanced down first to judge how high up she was. The she took a deep breath before she released her legs and dangled precariously on the tree branch before she let go and landed on her feet in a crouched position on the ground. The branch immediately snapped back to its original position with an even louder CRACK.

A light on the porch flickered on and Amanda heard the sound of the screen door creaking open and clattered as it closed. She heard footsteps on the wood porch as she tried to stay low and hide behind the trunk of the tree. She peeked her head out enough to see Gregory standing on the porch looking in her direction. Amanda held her breath, afraid he might see her. She was startled when a large raccoon lumbered across the yard from behind her. Gregory shook his head as he turned back toward the door. "I hate raccoons. Damn trash pandas," he muttered as he returned to the house, the screen door slammed loudly behind him. Amanda waited until the light was extinguished before she let out the breath she was holding.

She stayed close to the fence and ducked behind trees as she moved toward the back of the yard and the building that lay in the corner. From everything she read about the Underground Railroad, she knew if Lee was hidden anywhere, it had to be there. She prayed Gregory wasn't looking out the window at that exact moment as she scurried across the yard to the ramshackle building.


	10. Chapter 10

Co-Authored by Tracey Arcieri and Karen LaManna

 **Chapter 10**

Amanda crept along the outside of the building, as she tried to stay out of sight from the main house. She tiptoed inside the open door and scanned the room for any indication where the hidden room may be. She could only see an old wooden step ladder propped up against one wall and some old lawn furniture piled in another corner. She leaned against a wall, her hands resting on her knees when she noticed the disturbed dirt and dust on the floor even in the filtered dimming light. She tilted her head to the side and slowly crept forward and followed what appeared to be footsteps. Her sneakers barely made a sound on the wooden floor. It wasn't until she stepped on a loose board that she heard a sound from below her feet.

"Who's there?" Lee's raspy, hoarse voice was heard from beneath the corner she was moving toward.

"Lee?" she whispered loudly. "Lee?" she repeated a little louder the second time.

"Amanda? Is that you? Get me out of here!" Recognition dawned as soon as Lee heard her voice.

Amanda looked around in the dim light as she tried to identify where the trap door was hidden. In the dirt, she could see what appeared to be a collection of footprints. She dropped to her knees and quickly found the latch partially hidden against the wall. She pulled out the metal pin holding the latch in place and pulled the door open.

"Lee?" she called his name again. Lee stepped slowly into view squinting in the dim light. As he looked up at her, he couldn't help think she looked like an angel. The filtered light from behind her cast a glow around her, much like a halo.

"Oh my gosh, Lee! Are you all right?" Amanda exclaimed. Without waiting for an answer, she looked around the room and saw the ladder. "Get out of the way," she commanded. She lowered the ladder into the space below. Carefully she climbed down to try to get a better look at him. She touched his face, then his chest before she pulled him close and hugged him tightly. "Oh Lee! You're filthy. What did they -" she lamented, but he gently stepped back and put his hand up to stop her.

"They injected me with something when they grabbed me. Amanda, I need water, something. I'm not going to get far otherwise," Lee explained, his voice weak. Amanda hugged him tightly again. She needed to feel his body against hers, to feel he was alive. "Amanda, I don't know if you really want to do that now."

"Lee, I don't care how dirty you are, I'm just glad you're still… well, you're safe," Amanda stuttered out as she slowly released him. Seeing his gaunt look, she stated, "Let's get you out of here first. Then maybe I can find water near the house, a hose or something." She put her arm around his waist and asked, "Do you think you can make it up the ladder?"

Lee looked at the ladder and carefully placed his foot on the first step. Amanda did her best to guide him moving her hands to his hips. When he moved to the second step, she stood on the first step, and silently hoped he didn't fall backward. Slowly, methodically, they worked their way up the six steps on the ladder and with Amanda's help, Lee crawled out and laid prone on the floor. Amanda rushed out when she heard the thud of his body hit the floor. "Lee! Okay, don't go anywhere, I'll be right back. I'll find you some water and then we need to get out of here," Amanda said quickly. She placed her hand on his head lovingly before she left the safety of the small building.

 _Amanda always knows what I need. How is that possible?_ Lee thought as his brain focused in the cleaner air. _It's because she knows you, Stetson, better than anyone else. More than anyone has ever known you._ Lee inhaled deeply, a calm settling over him for the first time in days. _I knew she'd come._

Amanda picked her way across the yard toward the house, constantly scanning the yard. She didn't see the van in the driveway and the porch light was still off, so she moved closer to the house to search for some way to get water for Lee. Against the house she saw a garden hose. She nodded her head and looked around for any type of container that could hold water. The only thing she could find was a small plastic plant pot, only about three inches across. She brushed out as much dirt as she could and carried it to the hose.

Amanda turned the hose on just enough for the water to trickle out without a lot of noise. She rinsed as much dirt off the inside as she could then as she cupped the bottom of the pot with her hand, she filled it as high as she could. The water was slowly trickled out the drain holes in the bottom, so she ran across the yard back to Lee while trying to stay hidden in the shadows. She found him on his back, in the same position she left him in.

"Lee, can you sit up a little?" Amanda asked in a hushed voice. Lee pushed himself up onto his elbows and she pressed the container to his lips. Lee drank greedily although most of the water had drained out. After a few solid swallows, he coughed loudly, his body shook from the effort. Amanda dropped the container and cradled his head against her shoulder as she tried to support him while he caught his breath. She brushed the hair off his face and pressed her lips to his forehead. She sighed with relief when she felt he had no fever, but she was still scared. He looked so pale and weak, just like the time he had been shot in the shoulder by Dimitri.

 _He's going to be okay. I'm going to get him out of here and he's going to be okay,_ Amanda thought. _I NEED for him to be okay. Just admit it, Amanda, you can't live without him._ "How do you feel? Any better?" Amanda asked quietly as she rocked him unconsciously.

"Yeah, a little. Do you think you can get a little more? I'm going to try to push myself up against the wall over there, see what happens when I stand," Lee explained.

"Take it slow. Here, let me help you first," Amanda put her hands under his shoulders and eased him into a standing position. Lee leaned heavily on Amanda first then against the rough wooden wall. "Let me close this so you don't fall back in," Amanda stated as she closed the trap door beside them. "Are you going to be okay for a few minutes?" she asked, her brown eyes searched his face.

Lee reached up and touched her chin with his fingers as she said, "I'll be okay. I just need a little more water then we need to get out of here before someone comes back. It's Gregory."

Amanda confirmed, "Gregory...I know. And those two mercenaries we met before. On our first Christmas Eve, in the woods with Janus. You got shot in the shoulder, remember?"

Lee looked up at the exposed beams on the ceiling as it dawned on him. "Yeah, yeah I remember. Ivan and, and, and Dimitri. What is Gregory doing mixed up with them?"

"I don't know but I'm gonna get you some more water and get you out of here. Then we should call Billy and tell him where to find Gregory," Amanda stated.

"Call Billy? You mean he doesn't know you're here?" Lee asked with alarm.

"Well? Let me get you some more water and I'll explain on the way," Amanda brushed off his question. "You gonna be all right for a few more minutes?"

Lee nodded, "Yeah, I'll be alright. Let's get out of here as quickly as we can. I don't want to be a sitting duck if they come back right now."

Amanda nodded, took the pot with her and leaned out of the door to look around the yard. Again, the coast appeared clear, so she moved back toward the hose and filled the pot again.


	11. Chapter 11

Co-Authored by Tracey Arcieri and Karen LaManna

 **Chapter 11**

Agent Brown pulled into the restaurant parking lot as Agent Nevins encouraged him, "Come on, come on, I don't know how much longer I can wait."

"I wasn't the one that drank three large coffees," Brown snapped back as he put the car in park.

Nevins ran into the building and immediately asked the hostess, "Your restroom?"

"Right down the hall sir but it's for patrons only," the young lady explained.

"We'll take two coffees and two slices of chocolate cake to go. How's that?" he asked hurriedly as he shoved a twenty-dollar bill in her direction and walked away. Several minutes later he returned to find the hostess was waiting for him with two takeout containers and two travel cups with lids. He pocketed the change she handed him and took the cake and coffee out to the car where Brown rolled his eyes the second he saw him.

"Really? More coffee?" he groaned.

"I had to purchase something. Look, there's a payphone over there. We should probably check in with Mr. Melrose," Nevins pointed to a payphone at the other end of the parking lot. "Hey, that looks like Mrs. King's car. I laugh every time I see that Bombers sticker on the back."

"It sure looks like it. I wonder what she's doing in this part of town. Seems a little out of her neck of the woods. Did you see her inside?" Brown asked as he got out of the car and began walking towards the payphone.

"Now that you mention it, no. There was hardly anyone in there and she was most definitely not one of them. Did you try her cookies at the last office party?" Nevins asked as he caught up to Brown. The two men stopped at the payphone and as Agent Brown dug in his pocket for change, Nevins commented, "Hey, do you think the rumors are true? You know the ones about her and Scarecrow having a thing?"

"A thing? Scarecrow doesn't have 'things' with housewives. Seriously, stop listening to the girls in the steno pool," Brown scolded him as he punched the numbers on the keypad. "Brown for Melrose. Alpha team, Security level F6," he informed the switchboard operator. He waited for a few seconds until he heard Billy's voice bark from the earpiece, "I need a status report, NOW!"

"Mr. Melrose, Sir, we are in the parking lot of the Potter Restaurant, just down the street from the second location," Brown reported. "Sir, Mrs. King's car is here as well."

"What do you mean, Mrs. King's car is there? Amanda King? What the hell is she doing there?" Billy demanded.

"Um, I don't know, Sir. We didn't see her, just her car," Brown stuttered.

"I need you to confirm Mrs. King isn't just sitting in the restaurant having dinner!" Billy commanded.

Covering the mouthpiece on the phone, Brown asked Nevins, "You're sure you didn't see her inside?" When Nevins nodded he instructed him, "Go check Mrs. King's car. See if anything looks, I don't know, strange."

Nevins narrowed his eyes and scrunched up his face in disgust. He walked towards Amanda's car as he shook his head. He peered in the passenger window and immediately saw her purse on the seat. He could see a keyring sitting on top of her wallet. He pulled up on the door handle but found it locked. He stood and yelled over to Brown, "Her purse is here, looks like her keys and wallet, but the doors are locked."

Brown relayed Nevins' findings to Billy who immediately cursed, "Dammit, Amanda King! What are you up to?" Billy opened his office door and yelled into the bullpen. "Francine! Get your keys, we have a situation on our hands!" Turning back to the phone, Billy stated, "Continue searching for Scarecrow and Gregory, but keep your eye out for Mrs. King. For all we know, she's already found them both and if that's the case, there could be trouble coming your way. Desmond and I will be enroute in minutes. If you find them, don't and I repeat, don't challenge Gregory! You wait for me! Do you understand?"

Both Nevins and Brown responded together, "Yes, Sir." "We'll move towards the location and investigate what we can sir, with caution," Brown added. He hung up the phone and looked at Nevins as he said, "You heard him. Let's go." They climbed into their sedan and just as they pulled out of the parking lot, they had to slam on the brakes before they almost hit an older model van as it turned onto the side street.

Dimitri slammed on his brakes and got out of the van to yell at the driver that barely missed hitting them. Brown rolled down the window and apologized, "I'm so sorry, that was my fault. So sorry, sir. No damage done."

Dimitri pursed his lips and uttered an obscenity in Russian before he replied, "No harm. Just watch where you drive. Next time you may not be that lucky." He climbed back into the driver's seat and put the van in gear as he slowly drove away. Brown and Nevins waited for several more cars and a moving truck to pass before they pulled out of the parking lot. They did not notice the van as it pulled into the neighborhood they were also heading into.

Brown pulled over and took out the street map to determine exactly where the address was located before he drove slowly again.

While Brown was searching for the street, Amanda rushed back toward the ramshackle building with the pot filled with water again for Lee. She found him leaning heavily against the window ledge. She held the pot to his lips and let him sip slowly this time. He coughed a few times, but she simply tilted the small pot back until he caught his breath again. Lee finally nodded he was better and took two cautious steps toward the door.

"Amanda, we should get moving. They could come back anytime. But, I need you," Lee stated.

Amanda raised her eyebrows at his last statement and asked, "You need me?"

Lee smiled, his dimples deep as he replied, "Everyday but right now I'm a still little shaky. I'm going to need to -"

Amanda cut him off when she whispered, "You can lean on me, I'm a lot stronger than I look."

"That I know, Amanda," Lee responded as he reached out for her. She slipped her arm under his arm, while she gently held his hand against her shoulder.

"We are going to have to take this slow. If we can make it to the other side of the yard, there should be enough trees to cover us until we get to the gate. I think I know where the release is. I can open it enough for us to get through. My car is parked at a restaurant not too far away," Amanda explained.

"Then it looks like I'm following you. Lead the way," he replied as he took a few steps forward on shaky legs.

Together they crept toward the open doorway and outside. They tried to keep a slow but steady pace, while Lee still leaned heavily on Amanda as they emerged from the corner of the building. They had only taken several steps into the open yard when the area brightened from the headlights of the van as they streamed through the gate, instantly illuminating them in the darkness.

Ivan spotted the pair almost immediately as Dimitri fumbled with the handle on the door. As he scrambled out of the van, Ivan pressed the horn and shouted in Russian.

Amanda pivoted them towards the woods behind them, pulling Lee along, "In the trees! Come on, we can lose them in the trees."

"Amanda!" Lee breathed heavily, "I don't know if I can."

Amanda firmly held onto Lee's hand as she attempted to shift more of his weight onto her. "Yes, you can. _We_ can and we're going to do it together. Don't give up on me now, Lee," she assured him.

Behind them, Dimitri finally got the gate open as the van rolled through. He took off running in their direction as they disappeared into the darkness of the trees.


	12. Chapter 12

Co-Authored by Tracey Arcieri and Karen LaManna

 **Chapter 12**

Amanda pulled Lee into the forest. He stumbled beside her, but she refused to stop. "Amanda!" he whispered loudly, "I need to stop. I need to rest for a minute." She looked around and saw a small tight cluster of trees to their left. She could hear Dimitri lumbering some distance behind them, so she took a chance and cut toward the trees. There was just enough space for the two of them to hide between the rough large trunks. Lee grunted as Amanda lowered him to the ground with a thud.

"Shh," she whispered as she pressed a finger to his lips.

She heard Dimitri panting as he stopped a few yards away from where they were hiding. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she held her breath. Lee shifted slightly beside her as he pressed his back against the trunk behind him. Amanda put her hand on his to steady him, as she silently hoped Dimitri didn't hear them. She finally released her breath when she heard Dimitri walk slowly back in the direction he'd come, yelling out to Ivan. "We're going to need flashlights. It's too dark in here for us to see. Get Gregory too!" he commanded.

The pair didn't move until they heard him rustling through the brush further away. "Amanda, that was close. We're not going to have much time to build a lead on them," Lee groaned quietly.

"You need to rest for another minute, then we can head out. I know this land is adjacent to Overlook Park. If we can find one of the trails, we can make it out on the other side. I'm just not exactly sure where we are right this minute," she explained confidently.

"Amanda, thank you," Lee whispered as he reached out to touch her cheek in the very dim moonlight.

Amanda blushed as she covered his hand with hers, "I haven't done anything yet. We're not safe yet."

"No, you found me, you got me out of there," Lee stated. "But how?"

"How did I find you? Gregory sent Billy a picture of you in that…hole… and when he called I could hear the church bells and the bird and I narrowed it down to this area. I tried a few other houses first but then when I saw Dimitri and Ivan, I knew I must be in the right place," Amanda rambled.

Lee shook his head, leaned forward and planted a kiss on her lips. He leaned his forehead against hers as he uttered, "Leave it to you, Amanda! You found me using a picture, church bells and a bird. Remarkable. You may not know it, but you kept me safe, kept me sane the last few days. Every time I thought of you, it was like a light would wash over me, a shimmering light from within the darkness and I knew you'd find me. I don't know how, but I just knew."

"Oh, Lee," she breathed before she kissed him again. She pressed her lips to his and cradled his chin in her hands. In the distance, they heard Gregory yelling. They scrambled to their feet, Amanda immediately asked, "You okay?"

"I'm gonna have to be. Let's move before they come back this way," Lee gingerly stepped out of the trees and looked around. He looked up at the sky and between the branches he could make out the moon. "Ok, so the moon is there, North should be that way," Lee pointed to his left.

Amanda stopped, put her hand on a tree trunk and felt around before she declared, "No, North is this way," as she pointed in the opposite direction.

"Amanda, I'm telling you, North is this way," Lee pointed again but Amanda shook her head.

"No, North is this way. And if I remember the map correctly, we need to head Northeast toward the Potomac," Amanda insisted.

They could hear Gregory yelling louder and three beams of light flickered in the darkness, cutting through the trees. "I want him found and I want them dead!" Gregory shouted.

Lee looked at Amanda and took a chance, "Fine, you lead."

"The Trailblazers handbook has never steered me wrong before," she muttered as she slipped her arm around his waist and steered him to the right. They hugged close to the trees as often as they could and had to duck a few times when they heard the crunching of footsteps on leaves and branches approaching.

They tried to rush but when Lee's foot caught on an exposed tree root, he hit the ground hard with a loud grunt. A beam of light immediately swung in their direction followed by the sound of heavy footsteps running. Amanda tried to pull Lee up and over a fallen tree in their attempt to hide again but the beam of light found her instantly before she could duck down. She froze and straightened upright as she stared into the barrel of Ivan's gun.

"I need a status report, NOW!" Billy commanded to agents Brown and Nevins. He and Francine had just parked their car and Billy could hear yelling from the property.

"We arrived here and saw a van go through the gate, Sir. Then we heard yelling and what sounded like someone yelling he wanted them dead, Mr. Melrose, Sir," Nevins uttered nervously.

"Have you gotten a visual on either Gregory or Scarecrow?" Billy demanded.

"Gregory, I believe so, Sir," Brown replied.

"Then why are you still sitting here?" Francine questioned. "If Gregory is here and someone's yelling he wants THEM dead, we can assume Amanda found Lee first."

Billy processed Francine's conclusion quickly, "Francine call this in. We need teams all around this property as soon as possible. Where does the back of this land go?"

Francine pulled out the map of the property as well as the street map from the glove box. She unfolded the map and laid it on the hood of the car, the photocopy beside it. "Looks like it comes out into Potomac Overlook Park. Knowing Lee and Amanda, if they really were here, I guarantee that's the direction they are headed," she stated.

"Get teams headed in that direction and a chopper. See if we can spot them from the air," Billy instructed as he pulled his revolver from his chest harness. "Brown, you come with me, Nevins stick with Desmond. Let's go, people." He jogged towards the gate, Brown only a few steps behind his superior.

Francine picked up the car phone and immediately called dispatch. She was told the chopper would arrive in less than ten minutes and six additional teams were being routed to both locations. She placed the phone back in the receiver and retrieved her own small handgun from her purse. "Nevins keep your eyes peeled at all times. Gregory is the slipperiest snake you'll ever come across," she informed him as she headed toward the gate but instead of following Billy and Brown down the driveway, she cut around the house toward the other side. In the distance they could see the flashlights bobbing in the darkness of the woods beyond.


	13. Chapter 13

Co-Authored by Tracey Arcieri and Karen LaManna

 **Chapter 13**

Amanda stood perfectly still as Ivan trained his gun on her with one hand, his flashlight with the other. She could see the slightest shake of his hand and even in the darkness she could see the sweat beading above his top lip. She blinked in the bright light as she tried to focus on his face. She took a breath and let it out slowly before she spoke, "Ivan? It is Ivan, isn't it? I remember you from that night in the cabin." Ivan twitched his head once, an almost imperceptible motion but Amanda saw it. "I see your leg has healed. Doesn't even look like it did much damage. I mean, you don't have a limp or anything."

Ivan narrowed his eyes. He was conflicted as he recalled her caring nature that night when he was shot in the leg and Lee had taken a bullet to the shoulder. She cooked the only thing she could find, a simple can of beans but she made sure they all had an equal share. She even took things one step further when she started singing Christmas carols in her attempt to keep the group calm. He couldn't forget, even if he tried, those soft brown eyes which conveyed every emotion she felt or how she smiled through her fear. She was brave, he remembered, and also, very innocent. She wasn't jaded by prejudice or hatred because they were Russian, she only saw them as men on that cold holiday night.

"Ivan, my friend here, he didn't do anything. Gregory just wants to hurt him. Now I don't know why but he has some kind of…" Amanda paused, unsure of the right word when Ivan said, "Vengeance! He hates Mr. Stetson. He wasn't going to trade him, he just wants to kill him."

Amanda gasped inadvertently and bit her bottom lip to stop the tears that threatened to fall. She looked down at Lee, pressed against the fallen log, breathless and sweating. "Ivan, please, just let us go. We won't tell Gregory a thing. You didn't see us, we didn't see you. Lee needs a doctor. And I have my boys at home waiting for me. Just… please," Amanda begged.

Ivan wavered, the gun shaking in his hand. "Your boys, I remember now," he began, "Dimitri and I lost our parents to the KGB when we were young and even though he insisted we needed to stay loyal, I hated it. You, you're a nice lady, your boys deserve to grow up and learn to be like you. We need more people like that in the world."

"Thank you, Ivan. I don't have the words," Amanda said, suddenly speechless.

Ivan tucked the gun into his waistband and climbed over the log, Amanda followed him. Lee tensed as Ivan approached him. Using the flashlight, he scanned Lee's body, lingering on his face. "You'll need to find water soon. You're dehydrated. I'll distract the others. Go!" he commanded as he climbed back over the log and took off running away from them yelling, "I saw them, running that way!"

Amanda put her arms around Lee and pulled him to his feet. Together they trudged through the darkness until they stumbled upon a rocky path. Above them they could hear the chopping sounds of a helicopter and saw a bright beam of light cut through the night sky.

Billy looked toward the sky as the helicopter cut through the darkness. He and Brown were still on the perimeter of the woods when Gregory came running toward them. "Freeze, Gregory!" Billy shouted.

Gregory slowed to a walk as he raised his hands by his shoulders. "I'm impressed, Billy. I don't know how you found me," he stated.

"You'd be surprised how resourceful we can be when one of our own is involved," Billy informed him as he grabbed his hand and twisted it behind his back. "Now, tell me. Who else is involved?"

"Dimitri and Ivan Karamazov," Gregory stated calmly. "They abducted Stetson and brought him to me. I simply provided them a place to hold him."

Brown shrugged his shoulders and asked, "Why give them up? Why rat them out that easily?"

Billy laughed before he replied, "You don't understand Gregory. He's simply stating he did nothing wrong, isn't that right?"

"Billy, you wound me. I merely facilitated in the storage of Mr. Stetson. It was Dimitri and Ivan that orchestrated the entire kidnapping. I'll be home by morning," Gregory sneered.

"And I'm the next president," Billy laughed again. "Francine?" he called out.

"I'm here, and with another guest," she replied as she pushed a handcuffed Dimitri ahead of her. "We've still got one on the loose. Ivan, according to his brother here."

"My brother is no fool. He'll find Stetson before you do, and he'll finish this just like Gregory commanded," Dimitri spat. Francine gave him a shove and he tripped over his own foot but managed to recover before he landed on his knees.

Billy looked up again at the helicopter sweeping the trees. "If they're out there, we'll find them first."

"Look! It's a trail!" Amanda shouted over the chopping sounds cutting through the air. She pulled Lee along as he leaned even more heavily onto her now. His energy was dissipating with each step he took, his head pounded again, and his entire body was beginning to shake from the sheer effort it was taking for him to keep moving. "Come on, Lee, we're almost there. Don't you dare give up on me now. If we can make it to the clearing up there, the helicopter will see us. Keep moving, buster," she spoke beside his ear, so he could easily hear her.

"Amanda, thank you," Lee whispered, his voice scratchy.

"Lee, you don't have to thank me, not until you're safe," Amanda stated as they took a few more steps forward and finally made it into the clearing.

Lee collapsed at her feet and she immediately began waving her arms in the air to get the attention of the helicopter. The light found them almost instantly. Amanda dropped to her knees and cradled Lee's head in her lap. Lee lost consciousness with Amanda's wide brown eyes staring at him, her voice repeating over and over, "Help is on the way, stay with me, Lee. Come on, you've got to stay with me." As the darkness enveloped him, he tried to focus on Amanda's face, her hair shimmering from the light from above. And as he closed his eyes, his last thought was, _she is still the light that keeps me safe in the darkness,_ and he thought he heard her say, "I love you."


	14. Chapter 14

Co-Authored by Tracey Arcieri and Karen LaManna

 **Epilogue:**

"And then, he just let us go," Amanda finished explaining to Lee how Ivan let them go in the forest just a few days before. She was sitting on the edge of his hospital bed, her hand on his chest.

"And he didn't say anything, ask for anything? Money?" Lee was incredulous.

Amanda simply shook her head and replied, "No. He just said how much he hated the KGB and that Gregory wanted you dead for vengeance. That's it."

Lee rubbed his head with one hand and glanced down at the IV still inserted in the back of the other. "Well, I guess I should thank him, somehow," he said sadly. "You know, it's a little ironic," he added.

Amanda furrowed her brow as she asked, "What is?"

"Ivan and Dimitri, the Brothers Karamazov," Lee stated. "It's a novel written by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. It tells the story of the moral struggle with faith, doubt, judgment and reason set in modern-day Russia."

"Ivan struggled with his brother's allegiance to the same organization that killed his parents," Amanda confirmed.

"And doubted what he was doing was right. That working with Gregory who was only bent on revenge to get back into the good graces of the KGB…" Lee trailed off.

"Do you think the Agency will go light on him, all things considered?" Amanda asked.

Lee looked at Amanda with a smile, "Yeah, Billy already told me they're working with him. Turns out he's a pretty good translator. His English is almost perfect, so they have him working with a few of the cryptologist decoding some of the documents they found in Gregory's possession. And he was able to give us the name of the assassin Gregory hired. He overheard him on the phone but never told his brother. He got picked up waiting for Gregory at the site we were supposed to be traded." He placed his hand over hers and rubbed the back of it with his thumb.

"Well, I'm glad it's over and Gregory is behind bars," Amanda said as she brushed his hair off his forehead.

"I talked to Francine today," Lee said as he reached up to capture her hand with his.

"Yeah?" Amanda asked quietly. She was still angry with Francine and how she had treated her the last few days. She even ignored her when she approached Amanda in the Emergency Room.

"She told me she owes you an apology. That and a box of DeVaronna Chocolates," Lee grinned.

"Hrmph," Amanda grunted. "That's not all she owes me. But you," she changed the subject, "you need your rest. The doctor said you should only have to be here for another day or two."

"Amanda, I hate doctors, you know that!" Lee complained.

Amanda leaned forward and kissed his forehead, "And you're not going to get better any faster if you don't get some rest."

"What am I going to do with you?" Lee smiled at her and pulled her hand to his lips.

Amanda smiled lovingly back at him as she replied, "Nothing if you don't follow the doctor's orders."

Lee simply laughed as he pulled her close and said, "Oh, Amanda!"


End file.
